2. Kawhi Leonard – Scar (The Lion King)
Why he’s a Laker villain
For what felt like an eternity, Kawhi Leonard was rumored to want to be a Los Angeles Laker. We all know what happened next. Spurning the Lakers is something that many free-agents have done in the last decade, so that alone is not enough to make him a villain. Nor is the fact that he signed with their cross-hall rival.
The primary factor that makes Kawhi’s actions villainous to Laker fans was the fact that he kept the front office in the dark until the last possible moment. This meant that the Lakers missed out on a number of key free-agents whilst attempting to preserve cap-space for Kawhi, forcing the front office to scramble at the end of free agency.
Why I chose this villain to represent him
The Lion King’s Scar is the perfect villain to represent Kawhi, first and foremost because he’s one of the few Disney villains to actually be successful. After all, he did kill Mufasa and rule the Pride Lands for quite some time, not unlike how Kawhi led the Raptors to victory over the Warriors in the NBA finals.
Scar embodies the sneakiness and betrayal elements of Kawhi’s narrative. The way that Kawhi plotted from the shadows to not only leave the Lakers out to dry but orchestrated Paul George’s trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Clippers, shows an aptitude for scheming that Scar would be proud of.